The Trump administration’s decision to reimpose restrictions on Cuba travel by US citizens has caused Delta to reduce its New York-Havana service, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports.
Delta informed the US Department of Transportation on December 8 that it would reduce service from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Havana from six weekly flights to Saturday flights only beginning on February 1, 2018.
The airline said it had “invested significant resources to establish and support its new service to Havana. However, recent regulatory changes have resulted in lower demand for travel to Cuba from areas outside of South Florida. In particular, traffic on Delta’s service to Havana from JFK has diminished substantially.”
Along with previously announced cutbacks by other airlines, the Delta decision would result in 34 approved but unclaimed frequencies for flights between the US and Cuba.
American Airlines and Jet Blue Airways have expressed interest in claiming some of those frequencies: American would like to add more flights between Miami and Havana, for example, while Jet Blue would like to fly from Tampa to Havana — service now available only on Southwest Airlines — as well as between Fort Lauderdale and Boston and the Cuban capital.
Jet Blue also has expressed interest in flying from Newark to Havana.
